More than 40,000 marijuana plants seized in Mendocino Co. raids this week

More than 40,000 marijuana plants were confiscated in northern Mendocino County this week during a multi-day eradication effort conducted by multiple agencies, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported.

According to the MCSO, the eradications conducted in and around Laytonville, Leggett and Dos Rios resulted in 40,397 marijuana plants being removed, 14 people being arrested, seven firearms being seized and 37 cases of environmental damage being discovered that include illegal water diversions and stream pollution as well as solid waste violations.

Eradications were conducted for four days beginning July 18, and on Thursday, officers served a warrant in the Indian Springs area north of Dos Rios. There 240 marijuana plants were found and Adrian Glass, 31, of Sacramento, was arrested for allegedly possessing a butane “honey oil” lab and for being armed while committing a felony.

In the same area, three “open-field” eradications were conducted that removed 57 plants from one site, 49 from another and 105 from a third.

No suspects were connected to those sites, so no arrests were made there.

Nearly 8,000 plants were found at two more sites near the South Fork of the Eel River in an area burned by the Lodge Complex Fire two years ago. One site had 2,139 plants, and the second had 5,666. No arrests were made as no suspects were found.

At the final site near the Shamrock Ranch, 300 marijuana plants were removed, with no suspects found.

The eradications were conducted through a joint effort between officers from the Ukiah, Willits and Fort Bragg police departments, wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, members of the National Guard Counter Drug Team, rangers from the Bureau of Land Management, Cal Fire prevention officers, members of the Siskiyou County Narcotics Task Force and members of the Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force.